Lost Ember Reviews

Lost Ember is ranked in the 51st percentile of games scored on OpenCritic.
Liked-a-lot
Jul 2, 2021

Lost Ember has lovely visuals, simple gameplay mechanics and a heartfelt story. The calm and peaceful vibe of the gameplay is perfect for players looking for a laid-back game to play. It is not overly long, coming in at around five hours. If you like games with a strong narrative, animals and a little exploring the environment then Lost Ember might certainly be worth a look.

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Dec 3, 2020

The story in Lost Ember is one about a lone wolf and a curious spirit trying to remember what they have forgotten about their past lives in a journey across a beautiful world where past stories are re-told and truths are revealed.

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C+
Oct 30, 2020

Overall, Lost Ember isn’t a terrible game; it does, however, strive to be profound and ultimately is not quite so. The narrative is ambitious but never strays from the beaten path. Navigation is problematic and leaves players lost when it shouldn’t. Performance is also far from optimized for Switch. While the body swapping and visual design are solid, the former is let down by linear traversal and the latter isn’t enough to make up for the other flaws. Hopefully a patch will come along to tackle some of these problems, but in the meantime consider Lost Ember if you’re willing to put up with a number of different issues.

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7 / 10.0
Oct 19, 2020

Lost Ember provides players with an open world to explore through the viewpoint of various animals. And although it can be effective, its high price and downgraded graphics mean the Nintendo Switch may not be the best way to play it.

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4 / 10
Oct 5, 2020

Lost Ember attempts to be an artistic experience, yet struggles to be an enjoyable game. The story is uninteresting and predictable, the gameplay is boring and sometimes frustrating, and the huge performance issues on Switch makes this game close to unplayable at times. While there is clearly potential here, Lost Ember fails to deliver on nearly every front. There are plenty of other artsy games on Switch to pick up over this one.

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7 / 10.0
Sep 30, 2020

Lost Ember offers a beautiful and unique adventure that’s unfortunately held back on the Nintendo Switch by some technical issues. Are these issues problematic to make the game feel terrible to play? Certainly not, but you won’t be getting the same compelling experience with the game that you can get on other platforms. Outside of these issues, Lost Ember has its share of special moments. I loved discovering its open-world and switching between creatures felt great, with the game offering this genuine sense of freedom that just makes exploration so enjoyable and liberating. Here’s hoping that a patch with fixes is released sooner rather than later then, because as it stands this gem of a game is a little too flawed to make it essential for Nintendo Switch owners.

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Sep 29, 2020

Lost Ember wears its influences proudly but it doesn’t surpass them. Nonetheless, it’s a personal tale told with style on a large and frequently beautiful canvas. Unfortunately, the Nintendo Switch version suffers from performance problems that are detrimental to the overall experience. If they can be fixed – and we’ll update this review if they are – you can happily add another half-point to our score.

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6 / 10.0
Sep 29, 2020

If you're prepared for some eyeroll moments as you reset the game because your wombat got stuck in a boulder, you'll be rewarded with the spectacle of battering through walls as a buffalo, or soaring through rainbows as a hawk. At such moments of wonder, that initial escapist promise of soul-wandering through the animal kingdom feels tantalisingly close. But, in the end, the game's limitations break the necessary immersion, and bring you back down to earth with a thud.

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4 / 10.0
Sep 28, 2020

Despite the relatively interesting story and narrative, the Nintendo Switch version of Lost Ember has suffered from a number of problems that have made it difficult to recommend the experience. The combination of numerous graphical bugs and gameplay with a very sharp and continuous frame drop has made Lost Ember a nerve-wracking experience that is not worth your time and money. In fact, the $ 30 price of the Nintendo Switch version of the title is more like a joke.

Review in Persian | Read full review

7 / 10.0
Sep 24, 2020

Games that dare to be different are always a bit of a risk...

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7 / 10.0
Sep 24, 2020

Lost Ember is a great narrative adventure that acts as a wonderful game to play over an evening. However, the Switch version lacks the beauty found in the other versions. It’s ultimately something that holds this version back because the visuals are a key feature of what makes this such a memorable game. Ultimately, Lost Ember is a game that you should play, but maybe not on the Switch.

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7.5 / 10.0
Sep 24, 2020

Lost Ember successfully creates a mechanic of switching between animals and exploring a gorgeous world in a seamless and unique manner. It’s a real highlight of the game which is only complemented further by having such an engrossing and strong narrative. It is a shame that some technical hiccups impair the games’ overall quality but none the less, it is a very worthy title for nature lovers or those looking for a relaxing experience to add to their Nintendo Switch library.

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80 / 100
Apr 21, 2020

Lost Ember offers an emotional tale of discovery set in a visually stunning world. The possession mechanic is interesting and allows for some unique setpiece experiences while the huge amount of collectables offer some longevity beyond the four-hour story experience.

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The Digital Fix
Posted by Georgina Howlett
Top Critic
7 / 10.0
Feb 20, 2020

Lost Ember is a visually stunning game with a breathtaking world to explore. These features, as well as its beautiful soundtrack and engrossing narrative, make it a must-play indie - but its constant performance issues really hold it back. It is worth fighting through them, but be aware that your immersion will consistently be broken.

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7.5 / 10.0
Feb 19, 2020

Overall, Lost Ember is the type of game that you play when you want to take a break from the stress that the world gives you or from games that could also cause the same said stress. It’s a beautiful tapestry of breath-taking sceneries and mind-relaxing soundtrack. If you are looking for a game to de-stress or just want to escape the harsh reality of the world, then I highly recommend this game to you.

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Worth your time
Feb 5, 2020

Despite its technical flaws, and the obvious lack of budget, the magnificent music, the subversive storyline and the sense of freedom through the mechanism that allows the player to play with any animal in the environment, offer a great overall experience. Its definitely one of the more liberating and relaxing games to play as of lately.

Review in Greek | Read full review

Cubed3
Top Critic
7 / 10
Feb 3, 2020

Great graphics, a compelling experience, and overall heart, paint the general picture of this adventure game. While some aspects of the story go unexplored and the animal-shifting aspect largely goes under-utilized, these are not enough to distract from a positive experience. Gamers need to know going in that Lost Ember is a very casual-friendly experience, but one that is still well done. The only thing holding it back is a lack of truly diving into the mechanics presented, or truly investigating the story themes brought forth.

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6.5 / 10.0
Jan 14, 2020

Very promising story from fallen world from perspectives of different animals, but result is not so amusing.

Review in Slovak | Read full review

80 / 100
Jan 12, 2020

Lost Ember ties a fun, original gameplay concept to an enjoyable, if a bit unremarkable, story. It will feel too thin for anyone approaching it looking for any amount of challenge, but if you're willing to just enjoy the journey and let the story wash over you, Lost Ember is a singularly enchanting experience.

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GameMAG
Top Critic
8 / 10
Jan 8, 2020

In addition, certain restrictions, such as the level of flight of birds or the inability to explore the towers of a forgotten civilization, cause a slight disappointment. Otherwise, the game from Mooneye is a beautiful meditative adventure in which you can enjoy a unique environment, feel the power of nature and learn the tragic story of two heroes connected by one important secret.

Review in Russian | Read full review